Leap of Faith
by Toltec Spirit
Summary: When your lover is ready to take the most important plunge of life, there is no reason for you to hesitate. Only by falling will you be taught to spread your wings, propelling yourself forward with the courage you always had. And she will be right beside you, accompanying you on the journey of love... the journey of a lifetime.


**A/N: Think of this as a prelude to Love Isn't Blind, a flashback of sorts that explains how they ended up as happy parents.**

**Rated T for some suggestive references and sexual themes. That's as for as it goes. Decided not to turn this into a lemon, so you guys should be pretty safe.**

**Huzzah! Please enjoy, and please review! (Cliche title is cliche.)**

* * *

**Leap of Faith**

I was not dreaming about stereotypical things like blossoms and rainbows and sunshine, but rather I was dreaming about _her_.

I reveled in the gleeful and gleaming memories we had shared thus far, starting from the moment I laid eyes on her and was instantly infatuated to the point when she had declared her everlasting love for me. The latter revelation that had so profoundly altered my future for the better had occurred a short two weeks ago, and the joy and rapture of her desire to be mine forever had still not drained out of me.

We ate together, bathed together, preened each other, and slept with each other, even though we weren't technically mates yet. We were never separated for long, partly because she thrived on the happiness and comfort she experienced when she was with me, and also because she felt so bad leaving me by myself, as I was blind and restricted to an extent without her to guide me.

I was hardly ever deprived of her scent and her warmth, so that must have been the reason my dream fell through the cracks.

I could not detect the feel of her soft wing upon my back or her soothing body heat that penetrated down to my soul, and my slumber came to an end. I uncurled my neck and drowsily lifted my head an inch or so, my eyelids opening of their own accord, unaware that they were revealing nothing. I blinked them once and patted the space in the nest beside me with my left foot.

It was empty and cool to the touch, and Brooklyn was gone.

Her spot had clearly been unoccupied for some time, at least an hour or two, I guessed. She had slipped away without a trace, deeming it unkind to disturb me and tell me where she was going. It was not the first time she departed this way, and I did not hold it against her, as she was free to travel where she wished.

I even recalled telling her in months past, when our relationship was far less serious, that I did not want her to see me as a burden. I could fend for myself in most circumstances – barring fights against reptilian and avian predators. Back then, I did all I could to convince her that it was okay if she took off from time to time and did what _she _wanted to do.

Nonetheless, she only struck out on her own infrequently to minimize the instances of me being left unguarded, especially now. But I did love her dearly, and a small part of me always felt lonely and downcast when she took her leave. Love was a double-edged sword in that regard, but the pain was always bearable when I thought of how she would not fail to return to me.

I wanted to see if she was possibly nearby – though I didn't count on it – and I was also curious as to what time of day it was. I yawned and flared my wings to stretch my flight muscles, the tension in them melting away. I smiled a pleasurable smile and extricated myself from the nest, hobbling slowly over to the rim of the hollow.

After counting off a certain number of paces, I stopped, knowing that one more would send me tumbling out of the knothole. I leaned carefully out, using my functioning senses to evaluate the outside world.

The air was humid and uncomfortably hot, strongly scented with the spicy aroma of half-dry bark and flowers in bloom. My suspicions were confirmed as I felt an intense beam of sunlight splash onto my skull, raising the temperature of my feathers and skin with each passing second.

I withdrew my head back into the shady interior of the hollow and mused, _it has to be at least noon, or maybe a little after. _One half of my mission complete, I inhaled a dose of oxygen and opened my beak.

"Brooklyn, are you out there?"

My voice rolled off into the distance, the countless leaves and moss on the surrounding trees soaking it up. No audible responses were sent my way, and I decided to try one final time.

"Where are you, Brooklyn? Hello?" I called, increasing the volume of my speech.

Once again, my overly-sensitive ears failed to capture her feminine voice, and I concluded she was too far away. I sighed with melancholy and retreated deeper into the space, climbing into the loose pile of twigs and moss in reverse.

I gazed in the direction of the opening, my expression somber, and waited for one whole minute.

She did not appear, and I whispered inside my head, _Brooklyn, wherever you are, please stay safe. Come back soon…_

I refocused my attention to myself and began to preen my coat, the only action I could perform to pass the time. I meticulously tidied myself up, reorganizing and relinking my feathers and removing any loose plumes with quick tugs.

I slaved away on my neck, chest, and belly first, as my frontal area was easier to reach. I then went to work on my wings, and then moved onto my back. I tickled myself the whole time, chuckling every now and then while totally at ease.

My tail was the last object to have its visual quality improved, and I went over it twice to fluff up the individual feathers and give them a nice, gradual bend along their length. I think I did a respectable job despite my lack of eyesight, and I congratulated myself silently.

I made a mental note to ask for Brooklyn's opinion on how I looked when she returned… whenever _that _would be. I released a mellow sigh and sank into the nest, resting my head on the edge and tilting it a few degrees to one side. I could feel my eyes darting to the entrance randomly, and I could not fully control them.

Even after all these years, they hadn't received the memo yet.

I descended into a bored, half-conscious state, injecting thoughts of my dear sweet Brooklyn into my head to suppress my anxiety. I casually sunk deeper and deeper into the perpetual blackness that was my vision, falling into a light, fragile sleep.

I ventured into an uplifting delusion where she and I were soaring high in the cloudless sky above the bay, dancing and pirouetting around each other in an aerial ballet. The dull thumps of her wings as they beat the air synchronized with mine, as did the whooshing sound created when we performed sharp turns and tight loops in harmony.

But things turned strange when a third set of thumping noises were heard, breaking the rhythm of ours. My wings went limp, and I plummeted from the sky as my illusory world dripped into the sea like paint splashed onto a wall.

The instant I hit the salty expanse of water belly up, I was catapulted out of the dying dream and back into my actual earthly body. The monotonous flapping persisted, and I elevated my head and cocked it out of a blend of curiosity and confusion.

And that was when my brain recognized it, the audible signature that could have only come from one certain being: Brooklyn.

I pushed myself to my feet as she meandered in and landed gracefully. A cordial smile erupted onto my beak, and the mere fact that she had come home at last stimulated my heart to hasten its pace. Her talons scraped lightly along the dense wood as she approached, and when she stopped advancing, a cloud of her invisible aroma enveloped me.

She made a sound as if ejecting something distasteful from her beak, and I heard something firm bounce twice on the floor in front of the nest.

I parted my beak and said in a serene tone, "I missed you so much, my beautiful Brooklyn. Where did you go?"

The heavenly music that was her voice replied to me, "I visited your parents and discussed something important with them, and I also brought you back something to eat."

I unfurled my wings invitingly, and she eased herself into them. She brought her own wings up and meshed them upon my back, hugging me with a soul-stirring pressure.

"I missed you too, my special Samuel. And I'm sorry you had to be here without me for so long. But you were sleeping like a chick, and I couldn't bring myself to wake you."

I stroked her spine up and down and replied tenderly, "It's alright, Brooklyn. The only thing that matters is that you're here, in my wings, where you belong."

She snuggled into me and let silence do the talking, separating herself from me after many blissful seconds had passed. I fanned out my wings and puffed out my chest.

"How do I look, by the way?"

"Like quite the charmer, Samuel. I'm impressed. You've caught my eye again, if you can believe it."

"I figured as much. Are you falling in love with me again?"

She fired back amorously, "I think so, Samuel. You're too much to resist."

I dusted off my breast haughtily, relishing her inspiring praise.

"Thank you, thank you. Preening myself was no easy feat, but I made sure to refine my plumage as much as possible, just for your eyes to behold."

"Your words are just a big as your heart. No wonder I love you…"

She pecked me in the middle of my forehead three times in succession, a stain of magic left behind.

"So, anyways, what cargo have you brought, sweetie?"

"I collected five star fruit for us to share, Sam. It was all I could carry."

A whiff of the fruit's citrus-like scent invaded my nostrils as she lifted one up and held it near my beak.

"I hope you enjoy your lunch."

"I certainly will, my dear."

I inched the tempting packet of delicious nutrition closer to my beak and opened it to take a bite, but then paused.

"What did you talk with my parents about?"

Her reply was delayed for a few seconds, and when she did answer me, her tone had morphed into one that was honey-like and rich.

"I'll tell you everything when you finish your food."

Though I could not understand the significance of her sugary statement, I did not obsess over it long.

"Very well, Brooklyn," I answered, and bit the star fruit I was currently holding, in half.

I could tell by the delicate munching sounds she made that she was eating her food with savory reserve, just as I was. I gulped down both of mine with relative swiftness and smacked my beak.A surprise awaited me as I felt out the last remaining star fruit.

I grabbed not only the nicely-shaped morsel, but Brooklyn's scaly foot as well.

"Oh! I'm sorry. If you want it, you can have it," I said sheepishly, releasing my grip on her claws.

She countered in that same fluid tone, "No no, I'm fine. _You_ eat it, Sammy. It was yours all along anyways._"_

"Are you sure, sweetie?"

"Totally sure."

"Suit yourself," I quipped succinctly.

I inserted the entire fruit in my mouth and slowly closed my beak halves, compressing and crushing it to force the sour nectar out. I hummed in delight and swirled the mass around with my tongue, then downed it all in two large gulps. I scrubbed my beak clean of the leftover innards and patted my stomach.

"I have to thank you for your lunch selection. It was picture perfect."

"You are very welcome, Sammy. After all, who else is there to provide you with food?"

I narrowed my eyes at her in a mock glare. Funny how she was the one saying it.

"Riiiiiight. A tasteless joke. How hurtful."

I formed a wicked grin on my beak, absorbing her insult in stride.

She said evilly, "He he, take that, Sammy."

I grabbed my chest like I was having a heart attack and grunted, "Ouch… I felt that one… right in the soul…"

"I bet you did. Now c'mere, my handsome boy toy…"

She tugged on one of my wings, and I had no choice but to exit the nest before she dragged me out of it. She peppered my face with kisses, and then settled her beak on mine for a luxurious smooch. The mere act of crossing tongues sent shudders and ripples down my spine, and my feathers fluffed up as if electricity was coursing through my plumes.

"Mmm…" I whispered through a closed beak, rotating it to one side and digging deeper into her damp cave.

Our beaks parted moments later, disengaging with a sloppy sound.

"Star fruit flavor plus Sammy flavor… what a combination…" she crooned, exhaling a bubble of her breath upon me.

"Right back at you, Brooklyn. You taste very thrilling, if I do say so myself."

I cleared my throat and asked, "Would you please enlighten me about the discussion you had with my mom and dad?"

My words scuttled off into silence, and she did not answer them.

Perplexed, I pressed, "Um, Brooklyn? What's wrong?"

Still nothing. I whistled purely and then squawked, but received no feedback from her.

It was then that I deduced what had happened, and I rolled my eyes. She had spaced out and become a living statue, one of her random spells of quirkiness that never got old and never ceased to amuse me.

"Earth to Brooklyn! Snap out of it, you troublesome devil you."

And just like that, she terminated her stupor.

"Whoa… what the heck? I was talking to you one second ago, and then I practically fell asleep. Boom, gone, just like that."

I admitted with a chuckle, "You spaced out there, Brooklyn. Took a trip to topsy-turvy land."

She clacked her beak none-too-fondly and deadpanned, "Darn it. I'm sorry, Sammy. I hate it when that happens…"

"No need to apologize. I'm used to it, just like you're used to my blindness."

"Pfft. What can I say, I have a screw loose or two. I'm not all there in the head, ya know."

I grinned complacently and answered truthfully, "Yeah, I know. But I adore you all the same, miss fancy feathers."

"I'm glad I have earned your kindness. The average macaw would have called me a freak or a psycho."

She chortled at her own ludicrousness, and my grin stretched as wide as the crescent moon as I stifled a fit of laughter.

When I brought my beak back under control, I quipped, "So… about that discussion…"

"Oh, right, right. I'll get right on that."

She vacuumed in a chestful of air, as if she was preparing to utter a life-altering secret.

She reverted to her silky, alluring voice and began, "Samuel, do you remember the vow we made on that sunbaked cliff, while your mother and father were with us?"

The memory inundated my brain, and the words I had spoken to her replayed once in my head.

"How could I ever forget it? Where are you going with this?"

"You see, I spent this morning with your parents so that they could help me make a decision, one of the biggest you and I will ever make in our lives. I didn't want to pursue what I had in mind at first, but they dissolved my concerns and boosted my confidence. And now… I am ready, truly ready."

"Ready to what?" I asked, my muscles tensing up beneath my skin.

She sandwiched my left wing between both of hers, holding back her reply for dramatic effect.

She then cooed in a voice dripping with eagerness and desire, "I am ready to become your mate… and I am also ready to start a family with you."

The gravity of her wishes jolted my system like an internal tremor, and I swore my heart skipped a beat. My beak popped open, but no sound came out, and it snapped shut again.

I had realized too late the direction she was steering our conversation, and the implications behind it took me by storm.

At last, when my tongue and beak decided to cooperate, I sputtered, "Brooklyn… this is so… sudden. I… um… am at a loss here…"

My stomach churned and contorted with anxiety, and I swallowed a hard lump of sheer reluctance.

"I am willing to offer my body to you so that we can seal our love with the kind of intimacy and passion that devoted couples share."

I sensed her lean in closer to me and apply more pressure to my trapped wing.

"I want to claim you as mine forever, and I want to have children with you…"

My breath caught in my dried-out throat, and my counterattack was weak and fragmented.

"Oh brother… I don't know what to make of all this…"

"Please forgive me… but this was a spur-of-the-moment choice I made… and your parents helped me defeat my forebodings. I just… I just want our lives to be complete… and hold our chicks in my wings…"

I was flabbergasted, to say the least. I had been unknowingly put into a position with two alternatives, and to accept either was to usher in my imminent doom. It was as if I was standing on a barren cliff, a herd of bulls charging at me from behind and a writhing horde of snakes clamoring for me down below.

I could not escape the conflict here by taking flight, so it stands to reason that I could not shoot into the sky from the elevated plateau.

I confessed, "Brooklyn… I… I don't know."

I drew in much-needed air and added, "You might be ready… but what about me? There is no 'I' in 'team…' "

I pointed at myself with my right wing, stabbing my primaries against my chest.

"I will _never_ order you to do something you don't want to do. I have more respect for you than that. But please… seriously consider my request. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain, Samuel._"_

She released my flying appendage and situated both of hers on my shoulders.

"Your father followed his heart, and that was how he won your mother over. If it wasn't for him doing what he did… your mother would have died… and you would never have been created. But it didn't turn out that way. He did what he did out of selfless devotion, and that is the only reason you are standing here in front of me. If there is no 'I" in 'team,' will you please let your heart takeover so that I may do the same?"

Her sincerity rattled me to the core, and my eyes searched her face eerily, darting every which way. My head swam with dizziness for a grueling few seconds, the terrible sensation sequestered by my skull.

To deny her would appease me, but would come with the price tag of one broken heart. To do the opposite would benefit both of us, but would thrust me into a war with myself.

The repercussions either way were too much to bear.

"Brooklyn… I think… I think I'm going to faint…"

In one choreographed move, she dipped me low like a dancer and kissed me deeply. It was an exact replica of the one we had shared on the summit of that plateau, so primal and undiluted that euphoria possessed me and time ground to a halt.

It prevented me from fainting, speaking, and thinking, from start to finish, and I was devoid of breath when she distanced her beak minutely from mine. I replenished my lungs' dwindling oxygen supply and peered without pause into her eyes, neither of us twitching or unleashing one syllable.

Her kiss had touched something deep within me, and I felt the shameless need to consummate our relationship boil like a vat of molten gold.

"Will you be mine, Samuel?" she whispered, her words barely registering above silence.

And that was when I caved to the temptation, a sin most deadly, but yet so rewarding.

"I… I will. Take me away… Brooklyn… to a place we have never ventured before…"

We slumped to the floor, her body on top of mine, and our beaks meshed. And so it was that we united our bodies and our souls, fusing two separate and distinct entities into one.

Down, down, down we spiraled into a lush valley of ecstasy and lust, the fire of us young lovers searing through us from head to tail as she smothered me with her love, and I smothered her with mine.

* * *

She and I lay there side by side, panting as if we had flown from one side of Rio to the other nonstop. When the mind-blowing ordeal was over, we ended up as nothing more than a hot, adrenaline charged mess of feathers.

What passed between us in those precious minutes as we drove our bodies to the limit was only for us to know, but the deed was done, and our vow was made sacred. I could not formulate the words to describe the sensations that I felt, as they had blanked out my brain with their intoxicating poison.

Greed had fueled every possible action of mine to quench my uncommon thirst, bestowing upon me more and more stimulation until I erupted. Oh what a rhapsody of sound and kinetics it was when I lost control, squirming around in her wings as she, too, writhed beneath me, moaning my name as I moaned hers in kind.

The aftermath of our mating ritual was equally potent as the act itself, the hormones speeding through our veins and the fever plaguing our systems.

It did not matter if we had awoken any of our neighbors with our squawks if gratification.

It did not matter that our backs were bruised from the effort we instilled.

It did not matter that my serum of life had filled her so completely that some of it oozed down her undertail coverts.

No, what mattered more than anything was the fact that we were mates, and our shining titles would never be revoked for as long as we both shall live… and even beyond.

"Samuel… never in my life… has anyone ever made me feel… as good… as you have. When you touched me… and kissed me… and squeezed yourself against me… I wished you would never stop…"

"What else can I say… except that… I felt the same way. I proved my love… for you… as best I could… and I… have no regrets…"

She draped her wing over my side and hauled me closer, cementing our bodies together in a seamless embrace.

"You took… the leap of faith… for me… and I couldn't… be happier. I always imagined… I'd be here with someone… one day… and I'm glad… _you were that someone…"_

My own happiness burst forth from the most direct outlet it could find, and salty tears gathered in in my malfunctioning eyes.

"Brooklyn… you're all I will ever need… in this life… and the next. Promise me… you'll honor and take care of me… as your mate… and perhaps… the father… of your children…"

I buried my head into her neck as the tears scrambled for the floor of the stuffy hollow.

She placed her beak next to my ear and intoned, "I promise, Samuel. I'll hold on to you… and never let go… even if it means… I perish with you…"

Trickles of liquid zigzagged through my disheveled feathers, and I realized she was sobbing too.

"We were always meant to be together… and who are we to change what fate has in store for us?"

I gripped her tighter, providing the answer to her question with my action alone. And so it was that my soul floated up and up to cloud nine, Brooklyn's own spirit accompanying me on that heavenly journey.

This was what life was all about: coming upon that one special someone who completed you and was destined to capture your heart – even if you did not know it in the beginning – and from the fruit of your body and hers, create new beings so that they may live one day as well.

And without a doubt, Brooklyn was right. If we, once-lonely birds deprived of the unconquerable force known as true love, were gifted with the opportunity to hold it and cherish it, why act foolish and jeopardize it?

It was part of the meaning of life, and honest survival was near impossible in its absence.

* * *

Evening on this particular day was soul-stirringly warm, not a cloud in the darkening sky or a hint of wind. The stars hovered like a swarm of tiny silver flakes glued to the inside of an obsidian sphere, the setting sun relinquishing control so that they may illuminate the night however faintly.

Sprawled out belly up on the soft earth outside our home tree, it was into that spray of shifting, twinkling dots that I endlessly stared, my vibrant heart beating in time with the flickering of one I could sense was brighter than the rest.

My forever-bound mate was beside me, wings fanned out along the ground, as if she was absorbing the starlight like a celestial being.

Her eyes were closed, and her rounded breast swelled and sank at a pace even more reserved than mine. Further down her body lie a similar bulge, but this one was stationary. Given how we had so intimately explored each other's bodies and fallen into a pit of burning passion a week prior, it was not difficult to deduce what was growing beneath her feathers and skin.

There were two of them, as far as she could tell, a perfect pair of beings borne from our sacred union.

Even now she radiated an alien vibe that was wholly serene and content – I say alien because she is a first time mother, unaccustomed to the feel of having two bundles of life hidden inside her, but embracing that revelation with open wings.

Ever since Tulio confirmed our beliefs, she had never behaved quite the same, gazing at me and cuddling with me and cooing to me with diabetes-inducing sweetness. It was a change in behavior I would never tire of, because every look and stroke and word conveyed to me that she loved me, and that her exuberance was limitless.

I drank in such announcements of affection ceaselessly, and I routinely sent many her way in exchange, just to show her that I cared.

But for now, we used only silence, our familiar friend, to communicate, even masking the sounds of our breathing and rendering them inaudible. To be honest, I would have liked to lie forever under that dome of stars as it turned, fueled by nothing more than Brooklyn's proximity to me. But the night would not last forever, and so I was forced to make do with the time I had.

And so far, I was making the absolute best out of every minute of it.

I turned my head to the right as I heard a rush of air escape her beak in a sigh. Not wanting to disturb her out of curiosity, I refocused my jet-black vision on the vast expanse of space.

But my attention was diverted when she called to me.

"Samuel?" she whispered.

"Yes, my dear Brooklyn?"

"Come snuggle with me. You're too far away, and I miss your touch."

I smiled a lucid smile and rolled over to her, one full revolution placing me directly up against her.

"Ahhh… that's better. Much better."

Upon my beak she planted a brief-but-powerful kiss, part of me going into a meltdown. I craved more of her tropical flavor, and so I took the initiative and locked my beak seamlessly with hers.

"Oh Sammy… mmm…"

Her free right wing secured itself against my nape and prevented me from pulling away – not that I was even thinking of trying. Instead I pressed harder and dug my tongue deeper, issuing a muffled moan of my own as the rest of me melted like wax under a candle flame.

After making out for over twenty seconds, I backed my beak away the shortest amount possible so that I could breathe, a sloppy smacking sound signaling the split. I inhaled somewhat desperately and stared into her eyes, knowing full well she was staring right back into mine.

"My my, looking for some steamy pleasure, aren't we, Samuel?" she taunted.

"Yes, because you won't hesitate to burn me with it."

She removed her wing from my nape and worked it between us, sliding her primaries up and down my breast and stomach enticingly.

"In that case… I'll serve you some more once we return so our hollow. And I think some not-so-nice foreplay between us would be a treat as well. After all, I know exactly where to massage you and drive you crazy…"

I gave a shudder of anticipation of a sexual nature.

"I'm incredibly eager already, Brooklyn."

"I know you are, hotshot, but remember, good things, _sensual_ things, come to those who wait."

"As you wish, my gorgeous mate…"

Without a sound, she interlaced her right wing with my left and dragged it down to where her swollen belly was. She held it there in a firm embrace, and sheer fatherly magic coursed through me as I felt two oval-shaped eggs twitch and re-position in response to the applied pressure.

My pulse began to pound as I detected the minute fluttering of two minuscule hearts… the hearts of our children.

"They're going to be as beautiful as you and I…"

"No, Samuel," she countered, resting her head upon my neck.

"They're going to be even _more beautiful…"_

I entwined my neck with hers as sublime heat metaphorically fractured my bones and poured forth from the cracks. Yes, most definitely, this is what life was all about, as I have said before.

I was ferried away into a secret, eternal paradise, a paradise fabricated by me and my lover as a place of refuge for our soon-to-be family. I was oblivious to all things save the pumping of her heart in sync with mine, and the unique melody that her spirit sang, audible no one but she and I.

The chorus of my own soul harmonized with hers, the two ethereal chants wafting ever higher towards the swarm of metallic silver flakes glued to the inside of a dense obsidian sphere.

* * *

**(\ (\ /) /)**

**I**

**I**

**I**

**V**


End file.
